Enesekindlust

Enesekindlust is a psychological construct describing a person's belief in their own value and abilities, and their readiness to engage with challenges. It influences motivation, persistence, decision-making, and risk-taking, and is relevant across education, work, and personal relationships.

It is often domain-specific and fluid, varying across situations and over time. Enesekindlust develops through early experiences, feedback from others, success or failure, and cultural expectations. In psychological literature, it is related to self-esteem and self-efficacy, but the terms refer to related but distinct ideas: self-esteem denotes overall evaluation of the self, while self-efficacy concerns confidence in performing particular tasks.

High enesekindlust is associated with better coping with stress, proactive behavior, and social engagement, whereas low levels can be linked to anxiety, avoidance, or underperformance. It can be measured with domain-specific self-confidence scales and, in broader terms, with self-esteem assessments.

Strategies to improve enesekindlust include setting achievable goals, celebrating progress, seeking constructive feedback, practicing skills, building social support, and, when needed, professional help such as counseling or cognitive-behavioral techniques.

See also: self-esteem, self-efficacy, resilience, well-being.